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Deel Community Center is all about the Kids

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Melissa L. Barnett
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  The Deel Community Center has developed into a main attraction by providing activities for all ages. The center has dedicated several different rooms for the different age groups so there is something for everyone to enjoy.

The youngest residents of Fairchild can run, walk, or crawl into the Family Oasis. The Family Oasis room was transformed in April 2008, turning it into a place for adults to bring their children for a safe and fun place to play while allowing the parents to relax on the sidelines. A variety of programs are offered here including book swapping, Children's Story Hour and baby signing; also called "pre talking," which teaches babies simple words and signs to communicate.

"I think it is a great place to meet other moms and get out of the house. I come here at least twice a week," said Courtney Cecil, wife of 92nd Logistics Readiness Squadron Legal Operations Specialist, Master Sgt. Aaron Cecil, who visits the Family Oasis often. "On Friday mornings there a minimum of 3-4 moms with their children that meet for Play Group. Sometimes I volunteer to teach classes like Crafts for Kids where children get to make story characters out of clay form the books I read them."

As the youth get older, they will still not out grow the benefits and programs that the Deel Community Center has to offer. The Preteen Center is a recreation haven for kids ages 9-12. The Preteen Center is furnished with multiple video gaming systems including the Wii, Playstation3, and over ten computers fully loaded with internet access. There are also LAN lines available to use for gaming connections. For the non-gamers there are board games, movies, pool tables, art centers, and a recording studio. Not only does the preteen center offer fun activities but also resource materials and homework assistance is readily available. With all that the Preteen Center has to offer, the word "bored" is not an option.

"It's a fun and safe environment, I come here so my parents know I'm not doing drugs or getting into any bad situations," said Nina Lindsey, daughter of Master Sgt. Tracy Flax, 92nd Mission Support Group Chief of Operations. "They also have really fun programs. In the summer I'll go down to the pool a lot and just have a fun time. I come here to play pool a lot too."

The Homework Club, also called the "power house" provides a quiet environment and unlimited resources to help with school work. It is an incentive based program that gives kids a chance to earn points for homework completion and grades. The better they do on their homework assignments, the more points they can earn. These points can be exchanged for prizes like 80GB I-Pods.

The Teen Center works closely with The Boys and Girls Club of America, a program whose mission is to enable all young people to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Club programs and services promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence. One of these programs offered at the Deel is the Torch Club. It is a leadership program for teens that is tailored toward community service. The teens at the Deel are currently working with Spokanimal, a non profit organization that rescues animals. They collect bags of dog food, kitty litter, and squeaky toys and donate them to Spokanimal. The group also works with the Salvation Army collecting clothing items and coats to donate.

As the teens mature, they are able to attend classes such as Education and Career Development, Health and Life Skills and Character and Leadership during their time at the Teen Center. The Education and Career Development course teaches teens to be "job ready". The course offers pre employment job skills, resume writing, and interview techniques. Money management, how to balance a checkbook and saving money for college are all important skills offered in the Health and Life Skills class.

According to Jon Smith, the Youth Programs Director, the Preteen and Teen Center have a primary focus. "It's about providing opportunities for kids that they may not otherwise have and finding more ways to build on it".